Right to Education

Almost five years ago Indian Government promised to all indian children to provide them proper education under "Right to Education".As the Right to Education (RTE) Act just completed five years of operation, it is time to take note of some facts. Kerala became the first State to achieve 100 per cent primary education, but in Uttar Pradesh, only 12 out of 75 districts have admitted students from disadvantaged groups to private schools.

Another important RTE goal is to empower teachers as key change agents in schools, ensuring their competence as professionals able to reflect on and improve their own practice. Beyond ensuring an acceptable Pupil-Teacher Ratio, RTE mandates that all teachers are professionally trained and supported to continuously assess and improve children’s learning. While it is encouraging that Delhi, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have over 96 per cent professionally qualified teachers there are other States that have less than 70 per cent.

While there are one-time investments that will make a significant difference in achieving targets in such areas as ensuring a library or functional toilet in every school, much of the pedagogic transformation called for by RTE will necessitate substantive institutional reform. Some States like Odisha have implemented innovative grievance redressal mechanisms such as toll-free helpline numbers displayed prominently on school walls, and a comprehensive school monitoring tool called “SAMIKSHA” which helps to improve accountability, identify gaps and strategies for improvement.

Just imagine India when all of its children will have completed eight years of good quality education. What better way to secure the country’s future?